Solar Power Is Contagious: Installing Panels Often Means Your Neighbors Will Too

[eridani]

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/312-16/26609-solar-power-is-contagious-installing-panels-often-means-your-neighbors-will-too

lar power still generates just 0.4 percent of America's electricity. But it's expanding at a shocking rate, with a new rooftop system installed every four minutes. There are lots of reasons for that, from lower costs to federal subsidies to innovative financing schemes.

But here's another unexpected factor: Solar power appears to be contagious. Yes, contagious. If you install solar photovoltaic panels on your roof, that greatly increases the odds that your neighbors will, in turn, install their own panels.

That's the upshot of a fascinating new paper in The Journal of Economic Geography looking at the growth of rooftop solar power across Connecticut. Rooftop solar took hold in a few initial spots back in 2005 — when the state first started offering solar subsidies. Rooftop systems then spread out from those clusters over time in a "wave-like centrifugal pattern":

The researchers, Marcello Graziano of the University of Connecticut and Kenneth Gillingham of Yale, tried to figure out why solar power would expand in this way. Maybe solar power was just concentrating in large population centers. But this turned out not to be true — in fact, solar power was growing more rapidly in small- and medium-sized population areas.

Another possibility was that solar power was just proliferating in the rich parts of the state, among the households who could afford it. But that wasn't true either. Households of all income levels are adopting solar power — there wasn't a strong relationship between income and adoption rates.

After more careful examination, the researchers concluded that the evidence points in one direction — there are "neighbor effects." Specifically, adding one rooftop system on a block increased the average number of installations within a half mile radius by 0.44. This builds on previous research finding similar effects in California.

[newfie11]

1. I would love to have solar here

But we have a major hail problem. Our roof is steel as is the barn and two chicken houses for a good reason.
I'm afraid solar panels would be toast the first year.

[dumbcat]

4. Not really a problem

Hail is not really a problem for any commercially produced solar panels. They are installed in all areas, all over the world, in many areas with histories of large hailstones. Yet there is a dearth of news or stories about hail damage to PV panels. Their glass is designed to handle hail.

I have been in the field for over 40 years. I've had PV installations in heavy hail areas that have been continuously producing since the mid 70's. My panels here in Texas (where we get some heavy hail) have been up for over 20 years. I have never seen even one report of hail damage. I sure there must be some instance of it somewhere, but it sure doesn't seem to be a problem.

ETA: Just this last spring we had a huge hailstorm here that resulted in virtually everyone in my neighborhood having their roofs and gutters replaced by insurance. Many cars had hail damage. My solar panels received nary a scratch. The local solar installers I know had no damage to any of their systems.

[newfie11]

5. Thanks so much

I am very encouraged now.
We live in the far SW part of the SD Blackhills.
Hail (big hail) is common here so I was discouraged about getting solar.
Thanks again!

[dumbcat]

6. You're welcome

You can do a google search on "solar panel hail damage" and get a lot of info from various sources so you can avoid bias. You will find some examples of damage, but they are very few and far between compared to the number of panels installed worldwide.

Check with some solar installers in your area. You may be surprised as to how much the economics has improved.

[Demeter]

2. Not when you have to argue with the Neanderthals on the Condo Board

but I'm not giving up the fight

[yeoman6987]

3. HOA won't allow them either

I have a person who has solar panels on his home roof in another part of the area about a 1/2 mile up the road (not part of our HOA). I have to say they are ugly. Maybe they just purchased the ugly ones. I don't know. They completely cover his roof. Hideous! Is that the only way to have solar panels?